Law Change Means Action On New Designer Drugs

New designer drugs
will be classified and banned quickly thanks to a law change
introduced into Parliament today.

"We're proposing
amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act so we can move as fast
as possible to outlaw any new dangerous drugs," Health
Minister Wyatt Creech said today.

"This culminates a lot
of work on the issue of expeditious scheduling of drugs of
abuse done this year.

"As part of the substantial work
we are doing in our National Drug Policy, the Ministerial
Committee on Drugs has identified a problem with new
drugs.

"Currently if a new drug emerges it can only be
classified as illegal through a law change," Mr Creech
said. "That means the drug is available while the Bill goes
through the Parliamentary process. It can take months
before the drug is classified and prohibited.

"One
example is "Fantasy" - a new recreational drug on the club
scene that can cause vomiting, loss of consciousness,
respiratory arrest and even death.

The law change will
mean drug classifications will be made by regulation. There
will be a 28 day period before the regulation comes into
force. Parliament will debate the regulation at the end
of the 28 days and if ratified it will come into
effect.

The Misuse of Drugs Act amendment will also
allow conditions to be set on doctors authorised to
prescribe for drug dependence. This would mean more
doctors would be approved to prescribe certain
treatments.

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